The invention relates to an integrated waveguide component.
Integrated waveguide components of this generic type are known. They are used for instance in flat microwave antennas for transmitting and/or receiving signals. To achieve satisfactory signal transmission, and in particular to achieve good selectivity among different signals, such microwave antennas must be capable of orientation in two degrees of freedom to a counterpart location communicating with them. A counterpart location of this kind can for instance be a geostationary satellite. The two degrees of freedom are typically called xe2x80x9celevationxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cazimuthxe2x80x9d; an angle "THgr" corresponds to the elevation and is located between a so-called main lobe direction of a primary plane of the antenna, while the azimuth xcfx86 characterizes the rotation of the entire assembly about a vertical axis. Depending on the location of a described coordinate system, however, other angle designations can also be selected. The known microwave antennas are not capable of receiving other than microwave signals striking their base surface perpendicularly, and an additional mechanical alignment is therefore indispensable.
Integrated waveguide components of this generic type are known. They are used for instance in flat microwave antennas for transmitting and/or receiving signals. To achieve satisfactory signal transmission, and in particular to achieve good selectivity among different signals, such microwave antennas must be capable of orientation in two degrees of freedom to a counterpart location communicating with them. A counterpart location of this kind can for instance be a geostationary satellite. The two degrees of freedom are typically called xe2x80x9celevationxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cazimuthxe2x80x9d; an angle 9 corresponds to the elevation and is located between a so-called main lobe direction of a primary plane of the antenna, while the azimuth xcfx86 characterizes the rotation of the entire assembly about a vertical axis. Depending on the location of a described coordinate system, however, other angle designations can also be selected. The known microwave antennas are not capable of receiving other than microwave signals striking their base surface perpendicularly, and an additional mechanical alignment is therefore indispensable.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated waveguide component which avoids the disadvantagages of the prior art.
The integrated waveguide component having the characteristics has the advantage of a simple, economical capability of achieving an adjustable phase shifter/monostable multivibrator. Because the at least one microwave conductor has at least one interruption point, and each of the interruption points is assigned a mechanically shiftable microwave conductor segment whose effective length spanning the interruption point is adjustable in accordance with a desired phase shift between the input signal and the output signal, it is advantageously possible in a simple way, namely by a purposeful mechanical shifting and ensuing fixation of the shiftable microwave conductor segment, to establish or adjust an intended phase shift. Depending on the maximum possible shift, which is dictated structurally, phase shifts can be established within relatively wide ranges.
In a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the microwave conductor has at least two planar contact paths, disposed above a ground plane, which are assigned a substantially U-shaped conductor segment that is displaceable longitudinally of the at least two contact paths. As a result, a phase shift by means of planar microwave conductors can be attained especially simply by means of by an extensible detourline (i.e. the principle of a trombone).
Since electronic phase shifters or monostable multivibrators capable of fast adjustment are not required for all applications, the apparatus according to the invention offers a simple, economical way of achieving an adjustable phase shifter (or monostable multivibrator) using planar microwave conduction technology.
In leaky wave antennas the integrated waveguide component can be used preferentially for adjusting or varying the main beam direction.
Other preferred applications of the mechanically adjustable planar phase shifters according to the invention are for instance planar microwave antennas for arbitrary types and directions of polarization. For instance, by means of a plurality of adjustable phase shifters, microwave antennas with an adjustable directional characteristic can advantageously be attained.
In a further preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the microwave component is a resonator. In a simple way, this creates a resonator with an adjustable resonance length.
It is also preferred that the microwave component be a filter, in particular a superconducting filter. By variable adjustment of the effective length of the microwave conductor, the filter properties of the filter can be changed or set in a simple way.